Packaging apparatus



March 3, 1936. B. G. ERsKlNE 4 2,032,348

' PACKAGING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 26, 1934 ITl T INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar.' 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PACKAGING APPARATUS Application October 26, 1934, Serial No. 750,045

fr; 2 Claims.

This invention relates to packaging methods and with particularity to an improved form of combined package and protective shell for lamps, tubes and similar devices.

In the case of certain classes of devices, for example incandescent lamps, space discharge l tubes such as radio tubes or the like, it is highly desirable to provide each such device with a protective casing or shell which also allows access to the terminals of the device so that the latter o may be tested and inspected without removal o the device from the shell. It is particularly desirable in the case of radio tubes to have the shell so arranged, that the tube can be removed from its outer enclosing carton for inspection and testing without removal of the shell, and that removal of the said shell shall be revealed by the breaking of a seal or similar tell-tale device. By this arrangement therefore the substitution of defective or used tubes for new tubes, is materially avoided.

Accordingly one of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a protective shell or casing for lamps, tubes or similar devices, 25 which is so designed that inspection and testing of the enclosed device can be effected expeditiously without removal of the shell.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved protective casing for a lamp, tube or 30 the like, which casing is provided with a seal or tell-tale device that must be broken in order to place the device in actual use.

A further object is to provide a protective shell or casing for a tube, lamp or the like, which co- 35 operates with an outer enclosing carton in such a manner as to support the tube or lamp against longitudinal and lateral movement within the carton.

A feature of the invention relates to a single- 40 piece enclosing shell which is so arranged as to prevent unscrupulous replacement of a tube, lamp or the like, while at the same time supporting the tube or lamp within its outer enclosing carton, the shell having means to center the tube or lamp within the carton while enabling it to be readily inspected and tested upon removal from the carton but without removing the shell.

A still further feature relates to the novel organization, arrangement and a relative location of parts which go to make up a simple, cheap and effective sealed protective shell or casing for lamps, tubes and the like.

Other features and advantages not specically 55 enumerated will be apparent after a consideration of the following detailed descriptions and the appended claims.

While the invention will be embodied in one specific form, it will be understood that this is done merely for explanatory purposes and not by 5 way of limitation, and that various changes and modifications may be made in the disclosed embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Accordingly in the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a typical radio tube supported within a sealed protective shell according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows the tube with its shell positioned within an enclosing carton.v

Fig. 3 shows the single-piece blank from which the protective shell according to the invention, is formed.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, there is shown a wellknown form of tube comprising in general a glass envelope I terminating at its upper end in a dome portion 2 and provided at its lower end with an insulator base 3 carrying the several contactor prongs 4, 5, B and 1. The protective shell or casing for the tube is designated generally by the numeral 8. This shell is preferably formed from a single-piece blank such as illustrated in the developed view of Fig. 3. This blank may be of card-board or other similar pliable material and comprises an elongated strip 9 having two pairs of lugs I0, II, I2, I3, extending outwardly at right-angles from the strip. The strip 9 is also provided with a pair of circular cut-outs I4, I5, the cut-out I4, being preferably, although not necessarily, of smaller diameter than the cut-out I5, the said cut-outs being preferably in alignment longitudinally of the strip 9. The blank is adapted to be folded along the portions represented by the ydotted lines, the folding being effected as indicated in Fig. l and in such a way that the right-hand extremity I6 of the blank laps the left-hand extremity I1 to which it may be fastened or sealed in any wellknown manner. While the drawing shows simple wire seals I8 and I9 for this purpose, any wellknown form of theft-proof seal may be employed. If desired the portions I6 and I1 may be glued or cemented together although this latter procedure is not absolutely necessary.

As will be evident from the showing of Figs. 1 and 2, the cut-out I4 has a diameter which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the base 3 of the tube. Likewise the cut-out I5 has a diameter which corresponds to the diameter of the dome 2 and is slightly less'` in diameter than the shoulder 20 of the tube which engages the por- 56 tion 2| of the blank as indicated clearly in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. By means of the portions 2i and 22 therefore the tube is effectively centered within the shell 8 and isprevented from moving longitudinally or laterally with respect to the shell. It will be understood of course that instead of providing a circular cut-out I 4 to receive the prongs 4 to 1 this portion of the blank may be provided with small perforations through which the prongs are adapted to pass. The man-V ner of assembly of the tube within the shell is believed to be obvious from the foregoing description. Suiiice it to say that the tube is positioned with the prongs passing through the cutout I4 and then the blank is folded to bring the cut-out I5 over the dome 2 and into engagement with the shoulder 20 whereupon the portion I6 is sealed to the portion I l.

When the shell is to be enclosed within a carton the lugs I and II are folded downwardly as indicatedy in Fig.l 1, while theY lugs I2 and I3 are folded upwardly. Preferably the lugs I0, II and I2, I3 are of such a length that when the tube with its shell is positioned within the carton 23, the lower edges of the lugs II)A and II engage the bottom of the carton while the upper edges of the lugs I2 and I3 engage the top of the carton. Preferably the width of the longitudinal portion of the blank 8 and the width of the lugs correspond to the width of the walls of the carton so that the shell ts snugly withinthe carton and is prevented from moving laterally within the carton.

By the foregoing arrangement therefore it is possible to remove the tube and its shell from the carton and to insert the tube with its shell in a suitable test receptacle without breaking the seals I8 and I9. At the same time since the lugs I0, II and I2, I3 are freely foldable, the tube is capable of being inspected without breaking any portion of the shell. When the tube is to be put to actual use the seals I8 and I9 are broken, and

since these seals are preferably of the type that cannot be replaced without detection there is provided insurance against unscrupulous substitution of tubes. It will be understood of course that the blank may be so arranged that instead of the portion 2I engaging shoulder 20 on the bulb the cut-out I may be of a smaller diameter just suicient to lit over the top cap of the bulb to engage the bulb at its upper end.

Various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is: Y

1. In combination an outer enclosing carton, a shell comprising a strip of pliable material having a substantially rectangular box-like portion to receive a tube, a plurality of cut-outs in the upper and lower walls of said portion engaging respectively the top and bottom parts of the tube,

a plurality of integral pliable lugs extending up-4 wardly from said portion, and a plurality of integral pliable lugs extending downwardly from the said portion to support and center the tube within said carton, and means to seal said shell around said tube, the last mentioned means including a pliable lug extending from said boxlike portion, and an extension on one side wall of the box-like portion fastened by Aa tell-'tale seal to said lug.

2. In combination an enclosing carton, and a tube-supporting casing removable from said carton to enable the tube to be tested and inspected without removing the tube from thecasing, said casing consisting of a single blank of pliable material having means to center andrsupport the tube within the carton, and foldable lugs to prevent longitudinal movement of the casing and tube within the carton, said blank having portions to form side walls, one side wall having an integral extension fastened to one of said lugs by a tell-tale seal.

BERNARD G. ERSKINE. 

